Environmental conditions of a vehicle's passenger compartment may be adjusted via a heat pump. The heat pump may include expansion valves that have electrically controlled variable orifices (e.g., electrically operated variable expansion valves). By adjusting orifice area, refrigerant flow through the heat pump may be controlled to provide desired passenger compartment environmental conditions. However, expansion valves that have electrically controlled variable orifices may be expensive. Further, a controller including sensors and instructions to operate the expansion valve may further increase system cost and complexity.
The inventors herein have recognized the above-mentioned disadvantages and have developed a vehicle system, comprising: a coolant loop including a heater core in a passenger compartment; and a refrigerant loop including a thermal expansion valve that does not include an electrically variable orifice positioned upstream of a heat exchanger in the passenger compartment, the refrigerant loop fluidically isolated from the coolant loop, the refrigerant loop in thermal communication with the coolant loop via an intermediate heat exchanger.
By applying thermal expansion valves in a climate control system instead of electrically operated variable expansion valves, it may be possible to provide the technical result of reducing climate control system cost while maintaining desirable climate control system operating modes. For example, thermal expansion valves may be applied in a system that operates in cooling mode, heating mode, dehumidification mode, and de-icing mode. Use of electrically operated variable expansion valves may be facilitated by strategic placement of a coolant receiver in the climate control system. In one example, the receiver may be fluidically coupled to an exterior heat exchanger so that refrigerant enters the receiver in a saturated state, thereby reducing the possibility of vaporizing liquid refrigerant stored in the receiver.
The present description may provide several advantages. Specifically, the approach may improve passenger compartment heating and cooling of electric and hybrid vehicles. Further, the approach may reduce system cost. Further still, the approach may reduce system complexity.
The above advantages and other advantages, and features of the present description will be readily apparent from the following Detailed Description when taken alone or in connection with the accompanying drawings.
It should be understood that the summary above is provided to introduce in simplified form a selection of concepts that are further described in the detailed description. It is not meant to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, the scope of which is defined uniquely by the claims that follow the detailed description. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any disadvantages noted above or in any part of this disclosure.